For last night’s date night dinner, we wanted something with a little bit of an exotic flair and the March 2013 issue of Bon Appétit had a recipe for chicken Khao Soi (basically a coconut and curry style soup dish served over egg noodles) that looked so good on the cover that I absolutely had to try it!
Also, since I wasn’t sure if it was going to be more of an appetizer or if it would eat like a meal (or if I just plain botched it!), I figured it wouldn’t be a bad idea to combine with a bowl of Pad Thai. Turned out, the two complimented each other and we had a great meal.
The chicken Khao Soi was indeed hearty. A single serving would have been good for a light weekday dinner and a couple servings would have filled me up if I was really hungry, but I’m glad we had the Pad Thai.
It was also one of the first weekend evenings that we could actually sit outside and not freeze. Also no bugs yet, so that made for a really relaxing dinner. Since this was a pretty spicy meal, I paired it with a white zinfandel that balanced the spice with a bit of sweet. A cold beer would go great with this meal too!
You can find the Chicken Khao Soi recipe from Bon Appétit here, and I’ve also added it below. Pad Thai recipe came straight off the back of the Annie Chun’s box.
Ingredients
Khao Soi Paste
- 4 large dried New Mexico or guajillo chiles, stemmed, halved, seeded (found these at a local Latino market and they’re also available at one of our local supermarkets)
- 2 medium shallots, halved
- 8 garlic cloves
- 1 2-inch piece ginger, peeled, sliced
- 1/4 cup chopped cilantro stems
- 1 tablespoon ground coriander
- 1 tablespoon ground turmeric
- 1 teaspoon curry powder
Soup
- 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
- 2 14-ounce cans unsweetened coconut milk
- 2 cups low-sodium chicken broth
- 1 1/2 pounds skinless, boneless chicken thighs, halved lengthwise (I used regular chicken thighs, just under 2 lbs and cooked them a little longer than below)
- 1 pound Chinese egg noodles (fresh from the produce section at the supermarket)
- 3 tablespoons (or more) fish sauce (such as nam pla or nuoc nam)
- 1 tablespoon (packed) palm sugar or light brown sugar
- Kosher salt
- Sliced red onion, bean sprouts, cilantro sprigs, crispy fried onions or shallots, chili oil, and lime wedges (for serving)
Preparation
Khao Soi Paste
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Place chiles in a small heatproof bowl, add boiling water to cover, and let soak until softened, 25-30 minutes.
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Drain chiles, reserving soaking liquid. Purée chiles, shallots, garlic, ginger, cilantro stems, coriander, turmeric, curry powder, and 2 tablespoons soaking liquid in a food processor, adding more soaking liquid by tablespoonfuls, if needed, until smooth.
Soup
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Heat oil in a large heavy pot over medium heat. Add khao soi paste; cook, stirring constantly, until slightly darkened, 4-6 minutes. Add coconut milk and broth. Bring to a boil; add chicken. Reduce heat and simmer until chicken is fork-tender, 20-25 minutes. Transfer chicken to a plate. Let cool slightly; shred meat.
- I actually used chicken thighs (about 2lbs) and cooked about 45 minutes until I could pull the meat off the bones and shred it.
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Meanwhile, cook noodles according to package directions.
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Add chicken, 3 tablespoons fish sauce, and sugar to soup. Season with salt or more fish sauce, if needed. Divide soup and noodles among bowls and serve with toppings.
After enjoying dinner and the beautiful spring evening, we watched Take Me Home on Netflix. This was a really delightful independent production – don’t expect an academy award – by husband and wife team Sam and Amber Jaeger. What this movie lacks in Hollywood slickness, it more than makes up for with well developed characters, funny dialogue and a well written story. Good chick flick that the guys can enjoy too.